C. Wiebes - Intelligence en de oorlog in Bosnië 1992-1995. De rol van de inlichtingen- en veiligheidsdiensten - Engels

82reorganization of the MIS. In 1993, the most important item on the agenda was the change in theIntelligence and Security Services Act. Moreover, in handing over the IDB’s tasks to the MIS and theBVD, the Ministerial Committee for the Intelligence and Security Services determined in 1993 that theMIS and the BVD could make use only of ‘passive’ human sources, such as Displaced Persons fromthe region who resided in the Netherlands. Only if necessitated by national interests could ‘offensive’use be made of human sources. 381 In other words, restraints were hereby imposed on actively recruitingand working with agents in other countries. There was no session of the MICIV in 1994, but there weretwo sessions in 1995. The agenda included matters concerning cryptography, the stationing of BVDliaison officers in other countries, and a reinforcement of the controlling and monitoring function ofthe MICIV. It was therefore impossible to find anything in the agendas of the Ministerial Committeefor the Intelligence and Security Services that was related to the former Yugoslavia. 382The Committee on the United Intelligence Services in the Netherlands (CVIN)This committee (CVIN) is the official portal to the Ministerial Committee for the Intelligence andSecurity Services (MICIV), and it coordinates the execution of the services’ activities. The committeeconsists of the Coordinator of the Intelligence and Security Services (since 1991 the Secretary-Generalof the Ministry of General Affairs) and his adviser, the heads of the IDB (until 1994), the BVD and theMIS, and representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Justice. Meetings aresometimes convened in a form known as ‘CVIN-Plus’, in which the constitution is extended to includethe secretaries-general of the ministries that participate in the MICIV.Until 1991, the coordinator was a full-time official who was drawn from defence circles. Witheffect from 31 December 1990, Major General F.H. Alkemade (retd.) resigned as Coordinator of theIntelligence and Security Services. It was then decided not to appoint another full-time coordinator, butto incorporate this function in the portfolio of the Secretary-General of the Ministry of General Affairs,who at the time was R.J. Hoekstra. Immediately after his appointment as coordinator, he announcedthat he wished to restrict the dispatch of the MIS reporting to the committee’s monthly contribution,reports on the Antilles, and otherwise only those reports that were of interest to the prime minister, atthe discretion of the head of the MIS. Hoekstra also requested that a stop be put to the dispatch of theso-called Green Edition, which comprised intercepted message traffic. 383The CVIN met fifteen times in 1991. The agenda included subjects such as the consequencesfor the security of the Netherlands arising from the Gulf Crisis, developments in Central and EasternEurope and Yugoslavia, the threat of terrorism and Chinese intelligence activities. The committee metten times in both 1992 and 1993. Then too, the impact of the conflicts in the former Yugoslavia was onthe agenda. The Committee met eight times in 1994 and twelve times in 1995. Yugoslavia was on theagenda on various occasions. 384 For instance, the unanimous assessment in the committee meeting of17 February 1994 was that, in view of the involvement in the conflict in Yugoslavia, sufficient nationalinterest existed to require a more active deployment of human sources. This meant intensifying theinterviewing in the Netherlands and abroad of Displaced Persons, soldiers and other Dutch citizenswho were or had been present in the conflict region. 385The CVIN-Plus also met on several occasions between 1992 and 1995. We will return to thecontributions the IDB, the BVD and the MIS made to this committee below. It must be concluded,however, that the top of the Netherlands intelligence pyramid hardly discussed the developments in381 MoD, Archive CDS 1993, Head of department P.C. Kok to Minister Voorhoeve, No. DIS/94/095/398, 18/02/94.382 For this :BVDA nnual reports 1991 - 1995 ; Letter from the Minister of General Affairs to NIOD, No. 99M001449, 25/03/99 and telephone communication from G. van de Hil (CabinetOffice), 26/10/99.383 MoD, MIS/CO, File 443-0393, Memorandum from HMID Duijn, No. DIS/90/134/5879, 27/11/90.384 For this: BVD annual reports 1991-1995 and telephone communication by G. van de Hil (Cabinet Office) to the author , 26/10/99.385 MoD, Archive CDS 1993, Head of Department P.C. Kok to Minister Voorhoeve, No. DIS/94/095/398, 18/02/94.